Melbourne: Tennis Australia says two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt, currently ranked 178th, and rising star Ashleigh Barty have been awarded wildcards into the main draw of the French Open.
Tennis Australia said in a statement on Wednesday that Hewitt, who had foot surgery in February, has made a speedier than expected recovery and has been training well on clay. The 31-year-old former world number one won the US Open singles title in 2001 and Wimbledon the following year, but has struggled for form and fitness since.
Hewitt, who did not play at the clay court Grand Slam event last year, has never done better than the quarter-finals in Paris.
The 16-year-old Barty is the 2011 Wimbledon junior champion and was a first-round loser at this year's Australian Open.
A reciprocal agreement between the French Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia allows the Australian group to select two players for the French Open.
The other wildcards were given to 216th-ranked American Brian Baker and six Frenchmen.
The French Open will take place from May 27 to June 10.
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